Tempus Fugit
by Calantha42
Summary: Sent on a mission from Dumbledore, Ron and Hermione travel back in time to discover a mystery that has been hidden for twenty years. This is soon complicated by nasty characters, charmingly bothersome Marauders and the dangers of time paradoxes.
1. The Pocket Watch

****

Tempus Fugit

By Kalantha and Artemisia Bristol

Kalantha_@hotmail.com 

__

Disclaimer: All reverence forthcoming belongs to J.K Rowling and Warner Brothers. Strange, mysterious similarities to a certain novella by H.G Wells are strictly the product of your imagination.

Rating: PG 

Classification: A little bit of everything. Action! Adventure! Mystery! Romance (of the PG type)! 

Author's Notes: This has been a while in the makings, so we would appreciate all feedback (constructive criticism encouraged!). Although Kalantha thinks that we should get down on our knees and beg, I'm wearing black pants and don't want them dirty. 

A special thanks to Kyla, a exceptionally talented grammarian.

Hopefully chapter two will be up in two weeks. Repeat, hopefully.

****

Updated for grammatical errors on April 12th, 2002

Chapter One

The Pocket Watch

§

__

This is a Weasley family best, Ron thought with a tinge of smugness as he followed McGonagall's bobbing hat. _Haven't even stepped off the Hogwart's Express and I'm already in trouble. _He shut his eyes and savoured the memory of Fred and George's incredulous expressions as they had both watched McGonagall barge into their compartment, snatched him off the train, and ordered him to come to the Headmaster's office. A new idea brought a smile to his face. _I wonder if I'll make it into Hogwarts, a History..._

"Ron!" The pleasant idea of a full-coloured appendix was interrupted by a sharp jab in the ribs. He looked down at Hermione, who was pale as parchment. She was nervously hissing at him, "Stop stepping on my toes." 

Reluctantly, Ron removed his foot. Hermione scrambled to make up the lost ground between them and McGonagall. _I suppose they'll have to mention Hermione, _he thought reluctantly._ Maybe they could have a little footnote; 'Accompanying Ron Weasley, the greatest prankster since Bartholomew Briggans, was Hermione Granger, a prefect with bushy hair.'_

"Wait here," ordered McGonagall. Ron jerked his head up just in time to miss running into Hermione's backside. "Dumbledore will be with you in a moment." 

She smiled briefly, but with pride, at Hermione before speaking. "Congratulations on achieving prefect status, Miss ranger. I have no doubt that you will do the school proud." Hermione lowered her eyes humbly and Ron stifled a groan as he watched McGonagall slowly disappearing down the hall. 

__

Please, Ron grumbled to himself, _as if anyone else was even remotely considered. _He glanced down at her as she polished her already glittering prefect badge. Her letters during the vacation had spoke nothing but her plans as perfect. _Well, she deserves it, _he though grudgingly.

A faint cacophony reached his ears as the students arrived. He could pick out the nervous and awed voices of the first years in the crowd as they passed by the hall to the Sorting Ceremony. He thought he caught a glimpse of Harry, who had not been mysteriously whisked away to the Headmaster's office. _At least one of us will get to see the Sorting Ceremony this year._

"Ron?" Hermione's voice brought him away from the parade. "Have you gotten into any trouble lately that I should be aware of?"

"What," Ron gritted his teeth, "are you talking about?"

"Well, since I'm a prefect now, you can't just be dashing off and breaking ever rule you please. I mean, honestly-"

"You sound like Percy," Ron said darkly. 

Hermione smiled tentatively. "Really?"

"I meant that as an insult!" he spat out. Sourly, he turned his back to her. To his surprise, he found himself face to face with a rather revolting stone statue of a gargoyle. _What an ugly git_, Ron thought, observing the foul expression etched for eternity on the stone. He was dimly aware of Hermione making impatient sounds behind him, as he peered closed into the gargoyle's face. _He looks almost as if he could stand up and start talking. _

And then, it did. 

The gargoyle sprang to life with the sound of scratching stone, moved to the side and revealed to an astonished Ron an obscure entrance way. At the threshold stood Professor Dumbledore. 

"Oh," yelped Hermoine. "Professor, sorry..."

"Quite all right." Dumbledore smiled as his luminous eyes bored a hole in Ron's skull. "Please join me up in my office." He motioned up, to reveal a spiraling staircase, that seemed to move upwards on it's own.

"Wow..." Ron remarked. _What did Dad call them? Oh yeah,_ '_Es-kee-later'. _He eyed it critically_. Is that thing safe? _Just to be sure, he let Hermione and Dumbledore try it first.

As soon as they entered the office, a strange sense of warmth came over Ron. Everything else forgotten, he wandered around the office, oblivious to Dumbledore's secret smile. In the fireplace, a fire was merrily cracking away as the portraits above hung is peaceful slumber. Except the portrait of Headmaster Bertha Hugginstatch, who was screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Albus Dumbledore, you let me down from here this instant! I command you! I'll have the Ministry on you! Kiss of Death!" the painted lady roared as she tore at the canvas. 

Dumbledore wandered over to the painting and muttered something that only Ron heard. "If you are not careful, I will arrange to have Mr. Filch to give you a varnish. Are we clear?" Bertha Hugginstatch grew very calm and then stormed out of the painting.

Smiling to himself, Dumbledore took a seat behind a large oak desk. "May I offer you both a seat?" Two very comfy looking chairs faced his large desk and Ron and Hermione both sat down. 

"I suppose that you are probably wondering why you are here," Dumbledore remarked with an expression of hidden mirth. "I can assure you, neither of you are in any sort of trouble." Immediately, Hermione relaxed.

"It is because I have a assignment for the both of you." He looked at them both as the twinkle in his eyes was replaced with a solemn air. "One that I believe no one else could complete. To explain myself in full, I must begin by telling you of some events that took place many years ago." 

__

Another lecture, Ron groaned. 

"Twenty years ago, Hogwarts had many different Professors than it does today. Seven, in fact. The most interesting part though, is that by the end of 1976, all seven had left their jobs, for various reasons. Recently, I have made some discoveries which are quite unsettling. I have found out that during the years directly preceding the departure of the seven Professors, one of them was experimenting with some very powerful charms and curses. Which of the professors, I do not know."

Shaking his head, Dumbledore stood and strode towards something tall and covered in a heavy, dark blanket. "That is where you come in."

"I don't understand Professor," Hermione spoke up, "If you need us to find out who this professor was, why don't you just interview them all?"

The Headmaster gave a small smile, looking as though he was remembering something which he knew neither of them would understand. "Those years were in the middle of Lord Voldemort's rise of power."

Cringing, Ron shook off the creepy feeling that always accompanied someone saying... _that_ name.

Dumbledore continued on, "Most of the Professors have disappeared, or have died since those days. I was only able to locate two, both of which were unlikely candidates.

"I only know of the evidence that the magic for these spells exists. I do not know were the work itself is. 

The curses and charms they were working on were extremely advanced, and could it could prove disastrous if such information were to get into the wrong hands." 

"What were the charms and curses?" Ron asked out of curiosity. 

Dumbledore bowed his head. The flickering shadow of the fire fell across his wrinkled face. "Some were new and advanced forms of the Unforgivables, making them more powerful. Others spells were completely new, but just as terrible. I believe that the very process used to discover these more potent varieties of Unforgivables may hold the key to developing a counter curse for them as well. That could save many lives." Dumbledore seemed to be very far away as he explained..

__

Why is Dumbledore telling us this? To his right, Ron could see that Hermione was asking herself the same question. 

As if to answer it, Dumbledore took the dark cover off the tall object that he had been standing beside. In the light, it proved to be a normal, circular bird cage. But inside, there was no bird, just something tiny that was flickering in every direction at once. Every once in a while, it would catch the light, like metal, but only for a moment, as it never stopped its erratic movement. _It's like Pig,_ Ron grinned to himself.

"What..." Hermione's jaw fell as she darted a glance at Ron, who shrugged.

Dumbledore was grinning madly as he watched the crazy flying for a few moments. With an almost paternal manner, he patted the cage. "This is a Tempus Fugit." 

__

And that would be... Ron automatically turned to Hermione who was gasping for air as if someone had kicked her in the stomach.

"Although extremely rare, I was able to acquire one, many years ago. I knew that he would come in useful one of these days. Though, in the mean time, he's made a charming pet." Suddenly all business, he turned. "Now, you must use the Tempus Fugit to discover which Professor was performing these experiments, and make sure that that information is put in a safe place."

"Professor Dumbledore," Hermione said in a panicky tone, "Tempus Fugits they're well, illegal. They have a level six M.O.M classification. They were, I mean are, so dangerous that the Ministry of Magic declared that anyone having a Tempus Fugit in their possession would be sent Azkaban without a trial." Hermione's eyes darted around the room as if she expected to see Charm Squads leaping out of the woodworking.

"Yes, well." Dumbledore looked almost, well, _embarrassed._ "I have never used it until now. They are only dangerous if the owner tampers with time. Not observes."

__

Hold on a minute... Ron shook his head as confusion started to take hold. "You're saying that you want us to travels back in time."

"Of course, Ron," Hermione snapped. "Tempus Fugit, Ron. That's Latin for Time Flies. That's what Tempus Fugits do, they fly people back and forth in time. That was they did until they were deemed to dangerous for wizarding use and destroyed."

__

Time travel? he wondered. _Well, It's not impossible, _he reasoned._ But me and Hermione, travelling back in time? _

"Precisely," Dumbledore interrupted as he brought the bird cage over to settle on his desk. "It's imperative that the information this professor procured is hidden, so as not to be found by anyone with evil intentions. I'm also quite curious as to which professor it was."

Dumbledore continued explaining. "The most important thing to remember, while you are both in the past, is to reveal nothing about the future. The effects could be disastrous. You cannot reveal future events to anyone you are to meet in the year of 1975."

Hermione stuck her hand up nervously, as if a dire questions had just popped into her mind. "Why us, Professor?" she asked. 

__

Good question, Ron agreed. _Why would he send me and Hermione, of all people, on what seems like such an important task? Maybe Hermione because she's done it before. This is more a Harry thing. _Ron said so to Dumbledore.

To this, Dumbledore gave a large smile. "It is in 1975, that a certain James Potter was attending Hogwarts. Fifth year, in fact. People might become suspicious is they see Harry wandering around the school."

__

Harry's father? That meant that the other Marauders were in school too. Ron beamed maliciously. _Fred and George are going to be so jealous when they learn that I've met Moony, Padfoot, Prongs and Wormtail._

"I would go back myself," Dumbledore said with a tinge of longing. "But I am afraid that I would immediately be recognized. However, neither of you would even have been born yet."

__

This might just work, Ron rationed. _Maybe if we thought about it for a week or two..._

"You will depart immediately." he said. Hermione's eyes became wide and Ron felt his stomach drop as well. 

__

Now? He felt panic rise in his stomach. "But..." Ron tried to protest.

Dumbledore stood and motioned towards the corner of the room, where he noticed his and Hermione's trunks, packed and ready to go. "Just pick up your luggage, and you'll be off." 

Speechless, Ron went to get his belongings. Behind him, he heard Dumbledore speaking to Hermione. "Here is the letter I want you to give to me, in the year 1975. Inside, it says that you are both exchange students from Mr. Bauman's Private Academy of Magic, located in London. I told myself to give you a bit of lenience, so you two can do the necessary sleuthing to figure out the guilty teacher."

Ron took his trunk by the handle, and turned, to listen to rest of what Dumbledore was saying.

"Even I will know little about your true reason for being in the past. However, I'll ask no questions, as I trust my own writing."

The headmaster turned to the tall cage, and with his long and wrinkled fingers, he opened the door. Before Ron could blink, the tiny pocket watch had flown out the cage and darted aimlessly around the room. Then, in a flash, it seemed to notice Ron. It headed for him at full speed, only a gold blur visible. With a whoosh, the watch had darted into Ron's pocket, it's thin gold chain trailing out.

Dumbledore smiled. "It seemed to have taken a liking to you." Ron smiled, pleased that it had flown to him, not Hermione. Looking over at her, she appeared quite disappointed.

"May I see the Tempus Fugit?" Dumbledore asked Ron. He reached into his pocket, and grabbed the winged watch. Dumbledore took the Tempus Fugit, and seemed to be winding it up, backwards. As he did this, the Tempus Fugit fluttered its wings wildly, and quivered with seeming excitement.

"It's set for September 1st, 1975. You will arrive shortly before the Hogwarts Express does. When you do, give me the letter, and from there, you will be told what to do." Hermione nodded. The headmaster handed the Tempus Fugit back to Ron.

Looking at Ron, he said, "Just push this knob in when you are ready to travel back in time. It's already set." 

Hermione was now holding her trunk as well, and in the same hand she clutched a tattered and yellow letter. With her empty hand, she nervously reached out for the gold chain, and wrapped it around her hands a few times for good grip. She looked at Ron, face pale but full of determination. 

"Ready?" She asked. Ron nodded. Just as he went to push in the tiny gold knob, Dumbledore spoke up.

"One last thing! Ron, you cannot be known as a Weasley. For the next, or should I say previous, months, you will be known as Ron Holtby." Ron gave Dumbledore a puzzled look, but before he could say anything, he had pressed it in.

Immediately, the Tempus Fugit tore out of his hands, and flew to the middle of the room. Frantically, Ron grabbed for a piece of the long gold tail chain. The watch's wings were beating furiously, at a rate comparable to a hummingbird. A dull rumbling sound, like suppressed thunder, could be heard. It was getting louder and louder, until Ron's ears were going to burst.

A furious wind started out of nowhere, and blew with hurricane proportions. Hermione's hair was whipping wildly in Ron's face, and it hurt! There was a sudden bang and then he and Hermione seemed to be enclosed in a sort of bubble. In the bubble, everything was still looking normal and distinct. But looking out of the bubble, Dumbledore's entire office seemed blurred and dim.

Ron and Hermione watched themselves walk backwards, and in quick motion, out of Dumbledore's office. 

Then, Dumbledore sat down and read a large tome of a book, backwards and in little more then thirty seconds.

The thunderous noise peaked. Ron desperately wanted to cover his ears, but he was afraid that if he let go of the Tempus Fugit, he'd be stranded somewhere in time. The little airborne watch suddenly was in motion. With a sickening realization, Ron saw it's destination to be the window. Just like a stupid bird, it didn't realize there was glass between it and outside.

Hermione let out the little scream, and Ron closed his eyes as the Tempus Fugit lunged, full speed, at the window. There was a crash, breaking the window. However, no glass seemed to hit Ron and Hermione.

Cautiously, Ron opened his eyes. At the sight below, his stomach went wild. They were suspended, mid-air, three stories above the ground. Above, the sun was coming up in the west, and setting in the east. The length of one day seemed to be shortening. Faster, and faster, it was like a little child was playing with a light switch.

Orange and wrinkled leaves became green and full of life. Summer came, then passed into wet spring. In the distance, Ron could see the maze from last year's Triwizard tournament grow smaller, until it was just the Quidditch pitch again. The speed increased even more, and now it was simply too dizzying to know what was happening. 

Snow and rain were sucked up into clouds that existed for a fraction of a second. 

Ron began to feel nauseous, as the sun flickered like a strobe light. He shut his eyes and tried to forget how many feet in the air he stood. He also tried to forget that the only thing keeping him from plummeting to the hard ground was a hyper flying pocket watch.

Eventually, Ron could feel himself decelerating. Again, he carefully opened his eyes. It was winter, and every inversed day lasted more then a second. He watched with awe as giant snow banks gravitated upwards, at an incredible speed, back to heavy looming clouds. The amount of snow gradually disappeared into the sky, and now scattered and dead leaves made their way back onto trees.

Almost at a stop, Ron saw a clear night dissolve as the sun "rose" in the west. Golden light bathed the entire castle, and he could see in the distance a tiny Hogwart's Express, moving backwards. 

All at once, he felt himself lurch to stop. Before Ron realized what was happening, the bubble had evaporated and he was falling towards the ground. It took mere seconds until impact, and Ron felt like every bone in his body had shattered. 

Lying motionlessly on the grass, Ron noticed how cool it had become. All throughout the journey in time, the temperature had remained close to that of Dumbledore's office. Now a crisp autumn breeze blew, and Ron wished he was wearing his cloak.

Beside him, he could hear Hermione lift herself up. "Ron," she said, "are you... alive?"

"No," he answered and fell back onto the grass.


	2. Much Ado about Pockets

Tempus Fugit

By Artemisia Bristol and Kalantha

__

Disclaimer – Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers, not either of us.

A/N - Alright, here it is, Chapter Two! And it's three days before the two week deadline we promised! Any constructive criticism is very welcome, so please review.

Chapter Summary – Trouble ensues when Ron just can't keep his mouth shut around his new classmates, the Marauders. He manages to deliver a less than perfect first impression.

Chapter Two 

Much Ado about Pockets

"That," Remus Lupin pronounced with a bleak grin, "is nothing but trouble." 

Watching from their corner in the hallway, James Potter and Remus observed the arriving students file slowly into the Great Hall. There was only one thing askew in the picturesque scene and that thing had a name: Sirius Black. At the moment, he was arguing with a large and terrified group of second years. 

Grinning in a way that only Sirius Black could, he descended like a dark cloud of chaos on the group of terrified second years. "Are you saying that I would lie to you? Fine, you take on the ogre all by yourself." Stuffing his hands in the pocket of his robes, he turned his back in sombre rejection. "Come on Peter, we can take our advice elsewhere. I'm sure that this group of second years can take on the ogre."

"Ogre?" A wide eyed second year narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"You mean McGonagall didn't tell you?" Sirius turned in mock shock. As the grim group of second years shook their heads earnestly, Sirius turned to Peter Pettigrew. "What was the old bat thinking?"

Peter bit his lips in thought. "Well, if she'd told me about it when I was in my second year, I wouldn't have stepped two inches off the Hogwart's Express."

Sirius shook his head and scratched his chin. "Suppose not. Hand to hand combat with a Northern Bellyrupter Ogre could be a bit frightening if you didn't know their weak spot. But I sure that all of you read R. Lupin's _24 Ways to Disarm a Bellyrupter Ogre in Hand to Hand Combat_ during the summer vacation, so you won't need our help."

"I can't believe that he's dragging me into this," Remus groaned. "I refuse to acknowledge that we know each other."

A pigtailed girl consulted with the group and then turned to Sirius. "We didn't."

Sirius gasped dramatically. "You di... Peter, they di... Not another massacre. Not again." With a heavy sob, Sirius buried his face in Peter's shoulder.

"There, there." Peter patted his head complacently and then turned to the second years. "It upsets him every year, you see. Last year it was so terrible that he had to be sent to St. Mungo's for a term. Ogres are terribly bloodthirsty creatures. Hungry for human flesh."

"Oh." The pigtailed girl looked a little green. "Um, Mr. Black, sir. If you told us how to defeat this ogre, we would be really grateful." 

Tears vanishing as fast as they had appeared, Sirius snapped into business. "That's a perfect solution. Only, there's a small fee for goods delivered."

"What's that, sir?" the wide-eyed boy inquired.

"Forty two Chocolate Frogs."

A small conference was held as the second years nervously broke into their backpacks and pockets. Eyes lighting up, Sirius watched as a small mountain of Chocolate Frogs appeared on the floor. Watching as the students began to file into the Great Hall, the amassment was being quickly tallied.

__

That was far too easy, James thought to himself, watching Sirius gather his loot. _Might as well shake things up for him. _James gave a quick grin to Remus before interrupting Sirius's little entrepreneurial venture. 

"Sirius, didn't you hear?" Sirius's eyes searched him suspiciously as the second years stopped their count for a moment. "Northern Bellyrupter Ogres have be put on the Endangered Species list. The second year combat had to be cancelled."

The second years heaved a collective sigh of relief. In an amazingly quick time, the mountain of Chocolate Frogs disappeared back to their previous hiding places.

"Deal's off sir," the wide-eyed boy said as he snatched up the last Chocolate Frog from Sirius's hand. 

Watching the last of the second years disappear into the Great Hall, Sirius nearly had real tears in his eyes. "That was to be our best year yet." 

With murder in his eyes, he turned to James. "You..."

" Sirius..." James shook his head as he rubbed his prefect badge. "I had to draw the line somewhere, and the exploitation of innocent seconds years seemed like a pretty good place to start."

Sirius mustered up the darkest glare he could, and directed it at his friend. 

"I'll never forgive you," Sirius growled. However, his expressions quickly morphed as he scanned the now empty hallway. A mischievous smirk crept onto his face, then he began to search for something inside his pocket. From it, he brought a small beige coloured package that was squirming uncomfortably in his hand. 

Solemnly, he handed the package to James noting all their various states of shock. "It's been worth it just to see the expressions on your face," he chortled.

__

This is bloody fantastic. A shudder went through his whole body, as James turned the package over in his shaking hands. He gently handed the package over to Remus who carefully prodded it with his wand. The package gave a high pitched squeal. Hastily, Remus bashed his wand over the top of the package and it shut up immediately. 

"It's genuine," Remus said in awe. "How did you get it?"

"It took me all summer to convince my mother that Knockturn Alley would be a great place for a family vacation." Playfully, Sirius smiled. "Fun for the whole dysfunctional family."

Shaking his head, Remus handed the package over to Peter. Suddenly, it slipped from his fingers. Snatching it up in nimble fingers, James caught it and shoved it in his pocket as a straggler student passed by. 

"Gentlemen," James whispered as they entered into a huddle. "Do you know what this means?"

"No more running face first into statues?" Peter said ruefully.

"A little more vision here Peter," James said blithely. "I am talking about a new era of Marauder history. Thanks to the determination of our comrade in arms - Sirius, you can stop bowing now - we are about to enter the history books. With this, we could even make Wizarding history. We will rise-"

"Um, James?" A hesitant _female_ voice interrupted. "Are you busy?'

Restraining his wand hand from turning the speaker into a Flobberworm with digestive problems, James turned calmly. "No, " he said through gritted teeth, "not at all." 

Then, as he realized who it was, all the anger drained out of him as he felt his ears turn slightly red.

It was Lily. Lily Evans.

"Sorry to bother you," she said quickly. "But Dumbledore wants you in his office."

__

He couldn't know about the... He can't read minds... Can he? James panicked. _They can't expel people for only having something slightly illegal in their pockets. Can they? _Despite his frenzied thoughts, he forced himself toexude an aura of calm and control. He smiled.

"Well," Sirius said jovially, "it was nice to see you Lily. Hope you had a great vacation. Love to stay and chat but we are going to be late for the feast. See you late James." Shepherding the Marauders into the Great Hall, Sirius shot back a last, sympathetic glance. 

__

Some friend, James thought ruefully as he started after Lily who was already well ahead of him. With a few strides, he was side by side. "So Lily," he said with force casualness. "Do you have any idea what this is about?"

Lily's glance fell on her prefect's badge and then on his. "It might be a meeting. For the prefects. He asked for me too." 

Trying to hide the giant sigh of relief, James's step took on almost a skip. _Prefect meeting! Why didn't I think of that?_ Feeling quite carefree, he turned to Lily. "How was your summer vacation? Did you go to the Quidditch match in Caerphilly? You're from around there, aren't you?"

Features bleaching, Lily's voice was so quiet that James had to lean in to hear her answer. "No."

"Not a Quidditch fan?" he exclaimed in a mock faint. "I can't believe it."

"I like Quidditch," Lily protested defensively. "My family just didn't go." 

Admitting defeat, they walked in silence until they came to the huge gargoyle that James regarded with distaste. _The first thing I'll do if I'm ever Headmaster is throw that thing in the rubbish bin._ As the statue crackled to life, they went up the stairs and entered Dumbledore's office.

Already greatly accustomed to the setting, James went to the great oak desk and helped himself to the bowl of lemon sherbets. The fire crackled merrily in the fireplace as the room was filled with the gentle sounds of slumber from the portraits hanging from the walls. Gentle slumbers except for Bertha Hugginstatch who was muttering something about turpentine between large snorting snores.

"Thank you for coming." James turned around with a jolt. 

Dumbledore smiled gently in the doorway and motioned for them to sit. "I am sorry to draw you away from the night's festivities, but I have something that requires your special talents." Moving towards his desk, he halted for a moment and stared at James's pocket. Then, he raised his glance and stared straight into James's eyes, a slight smile creeping onto his aged face. Somehow, he seemed to know about the package.

__

No wonder the man gets his own Chocolate Frog card, James though with a touch of awe. Mentally, he reminded himself to let Sirius take care of his own illegal acquisitions in the future. 

"Hogwarts's is rather honored to receive two exchange students from a private school this year. As prefects and representees of our school, I would like you to do your best to show them around our school and make them feel welcomed. Ron and Hermione, could you please come in?"

From the darkness of the room, stepped two of the most frazzled individuals James had ever seen. _That's not quite true_, he thought. _When Sirius blew up the potions lab, Professor Malkolm almost looked that terrible. Almost._

The boy's blazing red hair was boldly defying gravity in several directions and he looked as if one ride on a broomstick would finish him off. His right hand was stuffed in his robe pocket, clutching something. The girl clung to her luggage as if it was about to grow wings and glide out the window. Both were wearing the most absurd robes that James had ever seen.

"Hermione Granger and Ron Holtby," Dumbledore said grandly, "I would like to introduce you to Lily Evans and James Potter." At the last word, the strangest thing occurred.

Hermione dropped her luggage in surprise. Ron gaped and started to whisper something to his companion who nodded vigorously. The entire time, they continued to stare at him and Lily, eyes wide with…well, James didn't know what. If he didn't know better, he would have described it as shock, like seeing a ghost.

Finally, the girl, Hermione, offered a weak, "Hello." Her red haired companion stayed silent, his expression still dumbly agape.

_Nutters,_ James thought wretchedly, _I'm going to spend my glorious fifth year baby-sitting nutters._

"It is decided that they will be in Gryffindor and room in your dorms as it will be easier for them to have a familiar face around at all time. Since you are all acquainted now, I believe there is a feast to attend." Ushering them out of the office with tremendous ease, Dumbledore lead them quickly to the Great Hall. 

"So, where are you from?" Lily asked encouragingly as they walked briskly behind the Headmaster. 

Ron answered first. "Well actually it was Mr. Weasley's School-"

"- Bauman's School," the girl started at the same time. Startled, she turned and glared at him icily. "Ron, we go to Mr.Bauman's Private School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In London. Where we have been attending for five years." 

She accentuated each syllable while carefully looking at the companion. Noticing James incredulous stare, the girl laughed nervously. "It was a long trip." 

__

It must have been very long, mused James, as he noticed she was trembling.

"Right." James peered at Ron doubtfully. As they entered the Great Hall, they quickly made their way to the Gryffindor table were the mounds of foods were quickly being devoured by starving students. All the student's were talking brightly as they greedily shoved the delicious meal in the mouths. At least every student except for Sirius, who was still looking sullen about his interrupted business venture. Downcast, he hardly seemed to notice anything around him.

Serves him right, James thought grimly as he steered Ron towards the table.

"James!" Sirius's eyes light up as he pushed Peter aside to make room for James. "Did Dumbledore find the-" His sentence died in his throat as he caught the bewildered expression on Ron's face. Pale and muttering under his breath, Ron did not present the ideal first impression. 

"This," James announced as Ron looked at Sirius suspiciously, "is Ron Holtby. An exchange student from a private wizarding school. Ron, this is Peter and Sirius and -"

"Remus," Ron said oddly. Startled, Remus nodded. 

__

Curiouser and curiouser, James thought as he sat beside Sirius. Ron wedged in somewhere beside Peter and Remus, and immediately began to shovel turkey onto his plate as fast as it appeared.

"Where did you get him from?" Sirius hissed angrily into James's ear.

"Apparently he came along with the prefect package this year. " James said bitterly as he began to eat slowly, "Lily got one as well."

Peter jostled him in the ribs. "But our plans for the year. How are we going to-"

"We'll talk later," James muttered, ending to conversation. They ate in an awkward silence that everyone seemed to notice except for Ron, who was too busy eating.

"So Ron," Remus said politely. "What did you do at your private school? I wasn't even aware that they existed."

Ron looked up from his plate and brightened, evidently pleased to be acknowledged. "It's only for very gifted students. You have to pay a lot to get in, very exclusive." 

There was a silence as James examined Ron's robes. They were frayed at the edges and his luggage was strapped together magically by some rather ugly fabrics. 

"That's interesting." Remus smiled dubiously. "What subjects do they teach at your school Ron?"

"Oh, we do loads of Defence Against the Dark Arts," Ron said as he tore into a turkey leg. "Quite renowned. We had some Aurors demonstrate the Imperious curse on some students, didn't we Hermione?"

From across the other side of the table, James caught the look of terror mixed with a murderous glare that crossed Hermione's features. He recognized the look, it was the same one he and Remus often gave to Sirius. Hermione recovered very quickly though. "Sure. Aurors." 

Undeterred by the incredulous looks that he was received from the whole Gryffindor table, Ron gloated openly. "The Aurors were so impressed with my skills, that they talked about accepting me early into the Ministry."

Sirius glared from across the table but hid his anger with a stressed smile. "You should try duelling with Remus. He's the best in the school." 

Ron looked over at Remus's slight figure with utter disbelief. "Are you sure?"

__

That's it, James thought as he felt the anger escalating. _He can't insult Remus that way._ Beside him, Sirius seemed to be thinking the same thing. Fortunately Remus's reply was much more controlled than the one that Sirius was no doubt preparing. "Do you play Quidditch Ron?"

Ron nodded enthusiastically. A glint came into his eye as he began to rave. "I play a lot of Quidditch. I'm the captain of my team. We had some scouts down from the Chudley Cannons this year." Even Remus's smile faltered a notch. Peter sniggered audibly but Ron paid no attention as his embellished his apparently miraculous Quidditch abilities. "They said that I'm ready for the European league-"

"Then show us." Sirius's voice brought a silence to the entire Gryffindor table. They all looked curiously at Ron.

"What?" Ron asked. 

"I said: Show us. Give us a little demonstration your great abilities. Why not tonight? If you're not too tired from your journey we could use some entertainment." Sirius's eyes glinted strangely in the candlelight.

This is trouble. James felt the familiar feeling of dread in his stomach as he looked at his friend. _He only gets that look when he is about to do something extremely stupid. _But as he noted the stupefied expression on Ron, he couldn't resist. _This is going to be fun._

"Tonight?" Ron squeaked.

"Why not? We could do some racing. James and myself have what some might even call skill," Sirius said as a gleam entered his eye. "Nothing compared to yours, of course."

There was a rustle of movement from the other side of the table. The students hid their snickers in their sleeves as Hermione stood up and grabbed Ron's shoulder. 

"Ron," Hermione hissed . "You will not be doing any racing tonight. You will not be doing anything even vaguely resembling that. You don't even have a broom."

"He can borrow mine," Peter said quickly. "It's new. Nimbus 1001." 

The table held it's breath as all eyes were fixed on Ron's pale face. Carefully, he leaned back nonchalantly in his chair, and declared: "I'd be glad to do a little demonstration tonight."


End file.
